Tropical Storm Eta Brings Wind, Rain to South Fla.

Sun Sentinel

Tropical Storm Eta made landfall in the Florida Keys late Sunday, as the storm's rainbands subjected South Florida to high winds and "life-threatening" flash floods, the National Hurricane Center said.

South Florida will experience the high winds, rain and chance of tornadoes into Monday. A flash-flood warning was in effect for the region on Monday. Knee-deep water was reported in Davie and flooding in downtown Fort Lauderdale, the National Weather Service said.

It is still possible South Florida could see a few tornadoes as bands from the right side of the storm rake the area.

Miami-Dade County faces the greatest danger, although the at-risk region extends through Broward and southeastern Palm Beach counties, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm came ashore on Lower Matecumbe Key, just south of Islamorada. But its wind field is so wide, reaching up to 310 miles from the storm's center, that it has brought heavy rain and dangerous winds to Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.

As of 7 a.m. Monday, more than 22,000 households are currently without power, most in Broward County, followed by Miami-Dade and Palm Beach, according to Florida Power & Light.

Residents in the Melrose Manors neighborhood, west of downtown Fort Lauderdale off Broward Boulevard, were among those without power Monday morning.

Approximately 2 feet of water has flooded the streets in the neighborhood.

Rance Ford sat on his pickup truck in his driveway on 29th Avenue imploring motorists driving by to slow down, because the wake was coming dangerously close to his front door.

"I'm not going to take my car out into that mess," he said.

A 68 mph gust was reported at Port Everglades and a 49 mph gust at the fishing pier in Lake Worth Beach.

"You see some of these rainbands pushing into places like West Palm Beach, Broward County, Miami-Dade County – some strong winds and intense rainfall in these areas," said Ken Graham, director of the National Hurricane Center, in a 4 p.m. briefing. "Also you can see 50 to 60 mph wind gusts. So brace for that."

Tropical-force winds, which means speeds of at least 39 mph, were expected to continue in South Florida until about noon Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

At 7 a.m. Monday, the storm was producing winds of 65 mph, with its center located about 55 miles west-northwest of Dry Tortugas and 80 miles west-northwest of Key West, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center.

The storm was still projected to reach hurricane strength, with winds of 75 mph, when it reaches the Gulf of Mexico. A hurricane watch was canceled Monday for Miami-Dade County, and Broward and Palm Beach County both remained under a tropical storm warning.

South Florida can expect at least 6 to 9 inches of rain through Tuesday morning, with forecasters warning the region faces a high risk of flooding.

The Broward County School District dropped plans for online classes Monday, after Florida Power & Light warned of the likelihood of widespread power outages. Schools and administrative offices will be closed Monday.

Both in-person and My School Online were canceled in Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties. In addition, all school district offices in Palm Beach County will be closed Monday, Superintendent Robert Fennoy announced Sunday afternoon.

Broward Mayor Dale Holness said all non-emergency county government business operations will be closed Monday. But since a significant storm surge is not expected, he said there were no orders to evacuate coastal neighborhoods.

Holness urged caution.

"Do not go outside until conditions are safe and this storm has passed," Holness said.

Fort Lauderdale and North Perry Airports are operating as normal, but passengers are encouraged to check for flight delays.

All Broward County bridges were locked down beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday and all COVID-19 testing sites are closed through Monday.

Broward County bus service will resume at noon Monday after it concludes its regular schedule Sunday.

There's a chance high winds could cause power outages. Holness called for patience, if that's the case.

"Restoring power will be challenging," he said.

Forecast Track Veers Away

Although much of South Florida had been in earlier forecast tracks, the storm is now projected to pass farther south, crossing the Keys into the Gulf of Mexico.

Florida's southeast coast lies within reach of the storm's the northeast quadrant, which means the area is vulnerable to heavy rainfall and tornadoes. Eta is loaded with bad weather on its north and east sides.

Although no substantial storm surge is expected, flooding was possible along the coast and in low-lying areas. Broward County has been clearing storm drains and flushing water into canals to prepare for more rain in an already saturated South Florida.

The forecast track says Eta will slowly move away from the Florida Keys and South Florida on Monday, moving over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico Monday night through Wednesday.

But forecasters warn, the exact track and intensity aren't certain and the outlook could change.
The past five storms in the Atlantic basin — including Hurricane Eta before it struck Central America early this past week — have undergone rapid intensification.

Eta is likely to be gone from South Florida by late next week, sparing the area from a double-whammy of flooding rains during the next king tides cycle, which begins Nov. 14 and ends Nov. 18.

"I think Eta should be pretty far removed from South Florida next Friday," said Jonathan Erdman, digital meteorologist for the Weather Channel.

However, Molleda said power outages are possible and drivers on overpasses, especially in larger vehicles, should be aware of the potential for gusty winds.

Florida Power and Light announced Friday that its emergency plan was in place with about 10,000 personnel standing by to restore any power loss as quickly as possible.